SUMMER SOLSTICE:
THE SACRED MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
Summer Solstice is the longest day of
the year, and stands opposite the Winter Solstice in the Wheel of the
Year. It is the time when the new life
and light that was born at the Winter Solstice is manifest in our lives and in
the world. Summer Solstice has been
celebrated in practically every culture on Earth, and is a time of joy and
celebration of the powers of life. The
Sun is at its fullest power, and the darkness of winter is a fading memory. But just at this moment of greatest light, we
begin to face death, for now the days begin to shorten and the darkness
grows. Solstice literally means
"sun stand still", for at the solstices the sun seems to stop on its
course before it reverses itself.
Many traditions have grown up around
the Summer Solstice. The Native Peoples
of America had many ceremonies celebrating the Sun, especially the Sun Dance
which ritually commemorated the life-giving powers of the sun. The Sun Dance of the Great Plains peoples was
a dedication to the divine spirit, held during summer solstice when all of
nature was rejoicing and the sage plant was succulent.
Summer Solstice was the most important
and widespread festival in Europe. In
Celtic countries, it was celebrated on Midsummer's Eve and was a
vegetation-fire-water ritual, when all the elements of life were celebrated and
honored. It is a time of magic, both
good and bad; a time when the faerie folk once again come out to dance. Fires are lit to help the Sun in its course,
the waters bring blessings, and dreams are potent.
But most of all, Midsummer is a time
for lovers, for it is the moment of the marriage of Heaven and Earth. The Sun fertilizes the Earth with His heat,
and She becomes pregnant with Life. But
there is a cost to all of this, for the Summer King must fight the Winter King
for his Flower Bride, and although he overcomes the darkness, yet will the
darkness overcome him as well.
The Man stood in the darkness,
watching as the Dragon sank below the horizon.
He had followed it for many days now, never losing sight of it, but
never gaining on the creature that had stolen away his Beloved. Staring into the darkness and wrapping his
sorrow and his anger around himself like a cloak, he once again recounted the
story of his loss, to awaken his numb mind so that he might go on with his
search.
It had been a night of storms, of
lightning and rumbling thunders, of fierce winds, which tore at the clouds, and
no moon. They were seeking the shelter
of a cave when they came upon the Dragon watching in the darkness. In a whirl of wings and flames and eyes older
than Earth Herself, it descended upon them, and when he came to himself in the
morning, she was gone from him. Gone.
Sinking wearily down against the tree
trunk, he closed his eyes to the last of the night's darkness. Immediately, he stepped into the brightness
of an early May morning, when he had known joy.
There before him in the sparkling spring light, she lay smiling up at
him, and he was ravished anew, there in the darkness. As if she were still with him, the darkness
of her eyes drew him down into deep surrender - all that he was yearned for
her, and his groan of longing rang out and silenced the forest.
He sat as one dead, as if the sound of
his sorrow had released his spirit from his body. Suddenly, a nightingale sang out to the
silence, and her song awakened him to sweet memories of love. In his weariness and longing, he allowed
himself to remember LOVE.
He remembered those first days, after
the first wild passion of the fire, when they had traveled through the forest
together. Each day was filled with light
and soft, golden warmth, and each night the bright brilliance of the starry sky
looked down upon them in the damp coolness of the forest depths. In those first days, he came to know her
moods, which flowed and rippled like the winds that shook the treetops. His own silences were matched by her
stillness, and he watched, enchanted, as the animals of the forest came up to
her as if she were their queen and mistress.
He watched as she took delight in the simple beauty of a wildflower, or
the awesome splendor of the eagle's flight.
He came to know her tenderness, which she shared in all innocence with
him, never losing trust in his acceptance of all that she did. He learned that her sweet softness never
denied her strengths. And hardest
knowledge of all, he learned to let her go when she needed to be alone.
He remembered a day in May, when they
had walked into a hollow full of the scent of lilacs. Playful breezes drew the fragrance through
the warm sunlight, and he had been filled with a sweet lethargy. They laid down under a lilac bush, watching
as the light drew out such a fullness of purple and green that the beauty of it
filled his heart with love. He had
turned to her in a rush of desire, but was stopped by the look on her
face. With eyes closed she lay there,
intoxicated by the fragrance and the colors.
And his desire turned to joy and delight. With a new sense of gentleness, he drew down
one of the blossoms, and with delicate strokes caressed her face and body,
giving her back the joy and delight he felt in her.
Released by the memory, his heart was
lighter as he opened his eyes. There
before him shone the Morning Star, a sign and a beacon of his love. A fierce joy filled his heart, and he leapt
up refreshed, ready to resume his search.
But he waited and watched as the sky began to fill with color. He would wait for the sunrise, for his heart
told him that today would be a day of terror and wonder. Today, he would confront the Dragon and claim
his Beloved for his Bride.
As the Sun rose in the East, He cast
his spears of light through the forest, until one fell at the foot of the
Man. Taking the gift of the Sun in his
hand, his mind cleared of longing and desire and weariness, he raised his arms
to welcome the Light. Opening himself to
the Light, the Man felt a rush of love flow through his body, where before he
had felt only loss. Now, the love he
remembered became a living love, and he knew that he would find what he had
lost. And when he was done giving
thanks, he set out on his search, the spear of Light in his hands, and Love and
Hope lending wings to his feet.
The Woman lay in the darkness,
watching the stars shine out of the depths of the night. She looked for the Big Bear, way shower to
the Center, and then followed the arc of its tail to the bright star of
Arcturus. Then she turned her gaze to
search for the sparkling circle of the Northern Crown of the Queen of
Heaven. The Crown brought back strange
memories, memories of an ancient voice speaking to her out of the darkness,
calling her to Remember.
And
she did remember, but it was knowledge without words, a deep wisdom she
remembered in her bones.
It was that deep wisdom which made her
get up now and climb the outcropping of rock that rose up behind her. There she found what she was looking for -
low on the horizon flew the Night Dragon, stretching out its claws to capture
the luminous glow of the moon in its sharp embrace. She seemed to hear the deep-throated laughter
once again, and the voice which spoke out of the depths of time. "This too shall be mine. This too." And she knew he meant to keep her if he
could.
But that Other voice spoke to her out
of the starry heavens, and she came back to herself and knew that she would
never surrender to the Dragon. And with
the thought came an image of her Beloved.
There, alone in the darkness, she remembered Love. And the Dragon vanished from sight.
After a while, she lay down in the
fragrant grass, thinking of the Man who had been taken from her. From the first moment she looked into his
eyes, she had been ravished by waves of feelings. Even now, a sweetness spread throughout her
body at the thought of him. His delight
in her was intoxicating, and his touch brushed her flesh with flames. He had filled her with a pleasure she had
never known, and yet, always longed for.
And she still longed for it, lying alone beneath the starry heavens,
even as she understood something new about her longings.
When the Dragon had carried her off in
a whirl of wind and wings, it seemed as if her very heart had been ripped out
of her body, overwhelmed by the loss of her Beloved. For many days she had wandered through the
forest, frantic to find her lost love.
Finally, in utter exhaustion, she had crept under a bush and fallen into
a deep sleep. While it was still dark,
she awoke to the sweet smell of honeysuckle, carried on a warm and gentle night
breeze, which was dancing through the grove where she lay. The deep fragrance reminded her of a day in
May when she and the Man had lay beneath the May lilacs, in joy and
delight. It was then that she understood
that she had lost herself in the Man, that she had forgotten that her love for
him was part of a larger love. She
remembered the Mothers, and their charge to her. She remembered the Life around her, and was
glad once more.
After that night, she searched for the
Man, but now she also took delight in the life of the forest around her. Sometimes she followed after the nightingale,
imagining that her Beloved was calling to her throughout the night. Sometimes, the sweet waters of the forest
beguiled her, talking with enchanting voices of the happiness of all creation,
and her heart filled like the deep forest pools, and overflowed in song. And finally, she had come to this fragrant
meadow by the side of a forest fountain, and she decided to rest. Here, within this enclosed garden, under the
deep blue of the sky, she waited upon her Beloved, knowing that one day, he
would come for her. She knew this with a
fierce certainty; as if the dazzling light that shone down upon her, and the
persistent winds that blew upon her, and the life of the forest growing around
her were all messengers of hope. Her
Beloved would return!
The Dragon stirred in his sleep. The spell he had cast over the two humans was
fraying; the Darkness was being pushed back by the magic of Light. The Dragon uncoiled his tail, and began to
stretch his wings. This Pearl was his
treasure, and no mere Man would claim it from him! A low, long hum began deep in his belly, and
grew and grew until the cave walls began to echo and boom, and finally he cast
it forth like a net, to ensnare the Man and entrap the Woman. And then he got ready to fly.
The Man, meanwhile, continued his
search with the help of his father, the Sun.
The light now had a new intensity, a fierce white flame that framed each
leaf and blade of grass in light. The
Earth blazed with the dazzling brilliance of the stars, and the shadows
themselves took on a deeper coloring.
The shadows on the forest floor became deep wells of emerald green, and
the tree trunks shone like ebony. The
sky overhead was full of blues and the shiny white of clouds, which were in
turn reflected in the bubbling brooks and streams.
The light gave new sight to the Man,
and the forest once again became a place of wonder and delight for him. The bright yellows and reds and blues of the
birds flitting from tree to tree reminded him of the many moods of his
Beloved. She had often stood beneath a
tree, singing and calling to the birds as they warmed their nests, and now he
could see tiny heads peeking out of those nests, crying to their parents for
food.
When he came to a stream to drink, he
followed the light down into the depths as it sparkled over scales and fins,
and drew out the deep rich colors of the stones beneath the waters. He could see the face of his Beloved in the
magic mirror of the waters, and his heart rejoiced, for he knew that she was
near.
And she was near. That very day the woman left the secret
garden she had found, and came down into the forest in the early morning
light. She had dreamt of her Beloved in
the night, and they had walked together by the stream. Awakening with a glad heart, the Woman had
prepared herself for his coming. After
she bathed herself in the pool at the foot of the rock, she had dressed herself
with care, weaving a crown of roses to wear in her hair.
And now the Woman had found him there
by the stream, just as in her dream. She
ran toward him, calling out to him in her joy.
But as she reached for him, the winds began to blow and a darkness
descended. She saw him turn with a smile
on his face, as if he had heard her cry.
But he looked with unseeing eyes right at her, and try as she might, she
could not reach him. Standing there, she
was invisible to him, for while he stood in the strong sunlight, she was
enclosed in a circle of darkness. And
then she saw the eyes, and knew that the Dragon had returned for her.
Elana Gibeault
The Woman saw now that the Dragon had
coiled itself around her and made them both invisible to the Man. The Dragon raised its head and looked upon
her with its ancient eyes. "So, you
have seen through my spell. But you will
never break through it. Come, why
struggle against me? I am more powerful
than you can imagine. Submit to my will,
and I will give you all the treasures of the Earth. Come away with me, and I will share with you
the wisdom of my long life, a life that is as old as the Earth Herself. Come and be the crowning jewel of my dragon
hoard." As he spoke, he wove his
spell, catching the Woman's glance so that she was forced to look into his
deep, ancient eyes.
And the Woman had to listen, for the
power of his spell could not be denied.
But as the force of his power overcame her, she retreated into herself,
holding on to a dimly felt Presence, to a memory of her Mother, and to a deep
wisdom that she felt in her bones. And
as she retreated before the fierce breath of dragon desire, she hurried to the
place within herself that was Love. It
seemed a tiny flame in that vast darkness, yet she took it up in her hands and
hugged it close, and found that there, in the vast darkness, she held her
Beloved.
And then Love called to Love, and the
darkness was dispelled!
Opening her eyes, the Woman searched
for the Man, and her heart leapt as their eyes found each other. No longer invisible, she still was prisoner
to the Dragon. When he saw that,
unexpectedly and unlooked for, his spell had been broken, he encircled her more
closely with his tail and turned to face the Man. The Man had already leapt over the stream and
stood facing the Dragon, the spear of Light held balanced in his hand. The Dragon looked on the Man and spoke.
"Be gone, human, for you are no match for one such as me. There is no hope, and you will die for no
reason, for this Woman is mine and will never be yours. I will pity you for your loss, and spare your
life if you leave this forest now, and never return."
"Oh great and ancient serpent, I
have followed after you these many weeks with no hope in my heart. But hope has been reborn in me, and that I
will never again let die. For the Woman
you hold captive is the guardian of my Love, and I could not desert her if I
tried. While you fight to keep her for
yourself, I must fight to free her so that Love will come to live in this
place. It is no longer myself, but Love
who guides this spear. The darkness and
fear of death no longer can stop my Love."
And stepping back, the man lifted his spear.
With a deep roar that seemed to split
the very ground they stood upon, the Dragon reared up, up, up until he filled
the sky with darkness. The Woman cried
out to warn her Beloved, while he, in turn, called on the Sun, raising the
Spear of Light above his head. And the
Sun listened to the cries of His children, and gave answer. For the Sun stopped in His course and blazed
out with such a radiance that the darkness shredded and dissolved, and the
Dragon was revealed. And then the Man
let fly the Spear of Light, and it pierced the heart of darkness, and the
Dragon fled before the power of Love.
That very night, the Man and Woman
stood together in her secret garden, and the Moon shone down upon them. Clothed in garlands of roses and silvery
light, their marriage vows were witnessed by the denizens of that forest bower
- the winds, the trees, the flowers and grasses, the animals and birds, the
waters and the Moon and the starry sky.
The Bride:
You open me wide
To the Mystery of Love
And I penetrate
The darkness to the depths.
My Beloved encircles me
In the strength of his arms.
With his encircling Love
He guards my sweet softness.
My Bridegroom waits upon me
He watches my comings
He watches my flow
My Beloved waits upon me.
Is there anyone like my Beloved?
His is the swiftness of the
Stag,
The far sight of the Eagle
The strength of the Bear.
My Bridegroom comes like the Sun
His warmth is radiant.
His beauty shines out
He is my Light.
I look for my Beloved in the
daylight
And I see his face in every
green leaf.
I wait upon my Lover in the
night
And I find him in the depths of
a forest
pool.
Oh, my Bridegroom!
Come to me in my marriage bower.
Come and enter into me
And let me bring you delight!
For my love is sweeter than
honey
My love more intoxicating than
wine.
For I will open myself to you
And let you penetrate my depths.
The Bride welcomes her Beloved
With the fire of her desire.
With the Love of a free heart
I call the Bridegroom home.
The Bridegroom:
In the first days, I was reborn
In the very first days, life was
renewed.
In the first nights, I learned
sweet delight
In the very first nights, I
surrendered
to
Love.
In the freshness of the first
morning
My Beloved lay in our bed of
living green,
In the first light of morning
We awake to wonder and delight.
The whiteness of her shoulders
Blinds me with desire,
The softness of her white flesh
Excites the hardness of my own.
Her neck offers itself to me,
Her neck extends itself to my
kisses,
And when I lose myself in its
strength,
It kindles the sweetness of my
desire.
With burning lips
I fire the white slopes of her
shoulders.
Glowing rosy now from the heat,
They lead me to the fountains of
life.
As a man dying from the dryness
From the force of the fire,
My lips find a haven
In the fountains, in the deep
wells.
The twin cups are offered to me
Their golden nectar offered to
me.
Twin nipples dark as earth
Waiting for the pull of life.
I will suck the sweetness of
life,
I will drink of the waters.
My softness hardens her cup,
My delight intoxicates her.
And now the waters flow freely
And I drink from every stream
I drink from every deep pool.
Ah, the sweetness of the Waters.
My Beloved gives herself to me
She shares her sweetness
She softly gathers me in
To her dark mystery.
My Bride calls to me
She calls me to the depths.
My Beloved opens me to Love
And I awaken to its Mystery.
And now I discover the deep red
rose,
I discover the blood-red bower.
And the living greenness
encloses us
As I come home to her hidden
garden.
